As of 3 November 2026, Apple’s newest A-series chip is the A20 Pro, its first processor built on a 2-nanometre process. It powers the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, the foldable iPhone Duo and the new iPad mini, while the A19 and A19 Pro from 2025 remain in the iPhone 17, iPhone 17e, iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro.
This reference covers every A-series chip from the A16 Bionic onwards: which devices use it, how it is made, how many CPU, GPU and Neural Engine cores it has, and what changed each year. All core counts come from Apple’s own press releases and technical specifications unless stated otherwise.
Which chip is in which iPhone and iPad
Apple often uses the same chip name in more than one device but switches off a GPU core or two in cheaper models. Where that happens, the table lists both figures.
| Chip | First announced | Devices | Process | CPU cores | GPU cores | Neural Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A20 Pro | 9 September 2026 | iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo, iPad mini (2026) | 2nm | 6 (2 super, 4 efficiency); iPad mini “up to 6” | 7 | Dual 16-core (32 cores); on iPad mini, the 512GB model |
| A19 Pro | 9 September 2025 | iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air | 3nm (third generation) | 6 | 6 (17 Pro); 5 (iPhone Air) | 16-core |
| A19 | 9 September 2025 | iPhone 17, iPhone 17e | 3nm (third generation) | 6 | 5 (iPhone 17); 4 (iPhone 17e) | 16-core |
| A18 Pro | 9 September 2024 | iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, MacBook Neo | 3nm (second generation) | 6 (2 performance, 4 efficiency) | 6 (16 Pro); 5 (MacBook Neo) | 16-core |
| A18 | 9 September 2024 | iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16e | 3nm (second generation) | 6 | 5 (iPhone 16); 4 (iPhone 16e) | 16-core |
| A17 Pro | 13 September 2023 | iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad mini (2024) | 3nm (first generation) | 6 (2 performance, 4 efficiency) | 6 (15 Pro); 5 (iPad mini) | 16-core |
| A16 Bionic | 7 September 2022 | iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPad (A16) | Not stated in Apple’s launch release | 6 (2 performance, 4 efficiency); 5 in iPad (A16) | 5; 4 in iPad (A16) | 16-core |
The pattern since 2023 is clear. Each September Apple launches a Pro chip for its top iPhones and, from the A18 onwards, a standard chip of the same generation for the regular iPhone. Cheaper “e” models and iPads then reuse those chips months later, usually with fewer GPU cores.
What changed in each generation
A20 Pro (2026)
According to Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro announcement, the A20 Pro moves to a 2-nanometre process and doubles the Neural Engine to a dual 16-core design, which Apple says gives twice the AI processing power of the A19 Pro. Apple also claims 50% more memory bandwidth and a GPU that is up to 40% faster. The chip and memory now sit side by side so the package can touch the vapour chamber directly, which Apple credits for up to 40% better sustained performance than the previous generation.
Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro technical specifications describe the CPU as having “2 super cores and 4 efficiency cores” and list the new Apple C2 modem alongside it. The same chip goes into the iPhone Duo, which went on sale on 23 October 2026.
The iPad mini announcement of 27 October 2026 is worded more cautiously. It says “up to a 6-core CPU” and ties the dual 16-core Neural Engine to the 512GB configuration, so the lower-storage models may ship with a cut-down chip. Apple claims up to 60% faster multithreaded CPU performance and up to 2.7x faster graphics than the A17 Pro iPad mini it replaces. The new iPad mini goes on sale on 6 November 2026.
A19 and A19 Pro (2025)
The 2025 chips added a Neural Accelerator inside every GPU core, aimed at running generative AI models on the device. Apple’s iPhone 17 announcement says the A19 is built on third-generation 3-nanometre technology, with a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU. Apple compared it with the A15 Bionic in the iPhone 13 rather than with the A18, claiming 1.5x faster CPU performance.
The A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 Pro has a 6-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine, and Apple paired it with an Apple-designed vapour chamber for up to 40% higher sustained performance. The iPhone Air uses the same chip with one GPU core fewer, plus Apple’s N1 wireless chip and C1X modem.
In March 2026 the A19 reached the cheaper iPhone 17e, with a 4-core GPU, a 16-core Neural Engine and the C1X modem.
A18 and A18 Pro (2024)
This was the first year the standard iPhone got a current-generation chip rather than the previous year’s Pro chip. Apple said the A18 in the iPhone 16 used second-generation 3-nanometre technology and claimed a 30% faster CPU and up to 40% faster GPU than the A16 Bionic. The A18 Pro in the iPhone 16 Pro added a sixth GPU core. The iPhone 16e, released in February 2025, uses the A18 with a 4-core GPU and Apple’s first in-house modem, the C1.
A17 Pro (2023)
Apple described the A17 Pro as the industry’s first 3-nanometre chip. It brought a 6-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which Apple said was four times faster than software ray tracing, and dropped the “Bionic” name. It later moved into the 2024 iPad mini with a 5-core GPU.
A16 Bionic (2022)
The A16 launched in the iPhone 14 Pro with a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine that Apple rated at nearly 17 trillion operations per second. It moved to the iPhone 15 in 2023 and to the entry-level iPad in 2025, where Apple’s specifications list a 5-core CPU and 4-core GPU.
How the A-series relates to the M-series
The A-series and M-series are two branches of the same Apple silicon family. A-series chips are sized for the power and heat limits of phones and small tablets. M-series chips use the same building blocks in larger numbers for Macs, the iPad Air and the iPad Pro. The two lines now share design features from year to year:
- Shared GPU design. The M5, announced in October 2025, has a Neural Accelerator in each of its 10 GPU cores, the same approach as the A19 generation. Apple’s developer talk on machine learning covers “the M5 and A19 GPUs” together.
- Shared core naming. Apple’s M5 Pro and M5 Max announcement describes “super cores” as its highest-performance CPU core design, first introduced in M5. The A20 Pro uses the same term for its two fastest cores.
- Shared packaging ideas. Apple says the A20 Pro’s package is inspired by M-series chips, with the silicon and memory placed side by side.
- Scale is the difference. The base M5 has a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU. The M5 Pro and M5 Max join two third-generation 3nm dies into one chip, with an 18-core CPU and up to 40 GPU cores. The A20 Pro has 6 CPU cores and 7 GPU cores.
The clearest sign of overlap is the MacBook Neo, announced on 4 March 2026. It is the first Mac to use an A-series chip, an A18 Pro with a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU and 8GB of unified memory, and it starts at $599 in the US. Based on its own testing, Apple claims it is up to 50% faster for everyday tasks than the bestselling PC laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 5.
What comes next
Apple has not announced a standard iPhone 18. MacRumors reported in June 2026 that the iPhone 18 and an iPhone 18e are expected in spring 2027 rather than alongside the Pro models. Apple has not said which chip they will use, so any claim that they will carry an A20 remains unconfirmed as of 3 November 2026.
How to read Apple’s chip names
- The number is the generation. A higher number means a newer design.
- “Pro” marks the higher-end version of a generation, usually with an extra GPU core or more memory bandwidth.
- The same name does not mean the same chip. An A19 in the iPhone 17e has one GPU core fewer than the A19 in the iPhone 17, so check the core count in Apple’s specifications for the exact model.
- Performance claims are Apple’s own. Apple usually compares against the previous generation or an older model of its choosing, not against independent benchmarks.
Sources
- Apple Newsroom: Apple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max
- Apple: iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max technical specifications
- Apple Newsroom: Apple unveils iPhone Duo
- Apple Newsroom: Apple gives iPad mini its biggest update ever
- Apple Newsroom (UK): Apple debuts iPhone 17
- Apple Newsroom: Introducing iPhone Air
- Apple Newsroom: Apple introduces iPhone 17e
- Apple Newsroom: Say hello to MacBook Neo
- Apple Newsroom: Apple debuts M5 Pro and M5 Max
- MacRumors: No iPhone 18 launch this year, reports suggest
